Dairy company Fonterra has begun manufacturing cheese from its new slice line at Eltham plant in Taranaki, New Zealand, after adding new production lines at the facility with $30m investment.
The dairy company has completed the 10 month project which includes deployment of two production lines that would see doubling of cheese production at the site. The first cheese slices have rolled off from the new slice line at the facility.
The plant is all set to produce enough cheese to meet the requirement of filling more than three billion burgers this year.
Fonterra managing director global operations Robert Spurway said: "Each of our customers has slightly different requirements and uses for the cheese we make for them, and this additional capacity will allow us to meet more than 350 different product specifications - that's 350 very exacting recipes.
"For example one of the things McDonald's tests us on is how quickly they can peel the cheese off the block. Our ability to consistently provide above their brand standard of quality is what makes us a preferred supplier."
According to Robert Spurway, the expansion is intended to support the company's growth in foodservice sector and also focused on boosting Fonterra's V3 strategy.
"We are using more of our farmers' milk in higher value products, and the production of three and a half tonnes of cheese every hour shows how fast our new plant enables us to do this.
"It's great to see the world wide reach this site has - if you pick up a burger in China, the Middle East or Africa you could be experiencing a little taste of Eltham."
Fonterra global foodservice director Grant Watson said that the expansion is part of the company's efforts to meet the global demand.
He said: "As tastes become more westernised, particularly in Asia, we are seeing a big increase for ingredients to make products such as burgers, pizza and pasta. Globally, foodservice is growing at six per cent annually and expansions such as this one at Eltham help us to capitalise on that growth."
Image: Fonterra's Eltham plant to produce cheese enough for three billion burgers this year. Photo: Courtesy of Fonterra Co-operative Group.
